Genesis 14:8
WEB
The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim
BSB
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim
KJV
And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H3318
v — go, bring, out
Derivation: a primitive root;
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
KJV: × after, appear, × assuredly, bear out, × begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, × scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, × still, × surely, take forth (out), at any time, × to (and fro), utter.
vb — go out
יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out
Qal
1. go or come out or forth
a. from (מִן) a place
b. go forth from (the presence of) a person
c. in technical senses
d. of flight, involving escape
e. depart
f. of inanimate things
g. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source
h. of children as going forth from loins (of father)
2.
a. go forth to a place
b. go forward, proceed to or toward something
c. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result
3. of combinations
Hiph.
1. cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out
2. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.
3. bring out animals
4. inanimate obj.
5. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)
Hoph. be brought forth
H4428
n-m — king
Derivation: from 4427;
a king
KJV: king, royal.
n.m — king
מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king
H5467
n-pr-loc — Sedom
Derivation: from an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt (i.e. volcanic or bituminous) district;
Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea
KJV: Sodom.
n.pr.loc — Sodom
סְדֹם 39 n.pr.loc. Sodom, important Canaanitish name (usu.) with Gomorrah
H6017
n-pr-loc — Amorah
Derivation: from 6014; a (ruined) heap;
Amorah, a place in Palestine
KJV: Gomorrah.
n.pr.loc — Gomorrah
עֲמֹרָה 19 n.pr.loc. Gomorrah
H126
n-pr-loc — Admah
Derivation: contracted for 127; earthy;
Admah, a place near the Dead Sea
KJV: Admah.
n.pr.loc — Admah
אַדְמָה n.pr.loc. city in Vale of Siddim
H6636
n-pr-loc — Tseboim, Tsebijim
Derivation: or (more correctly) צְבִיִּים; or צְבִיִּם; plural of 6643; gazelles;
Tseboim or Tsebijim, a place in Palestine
KJV: Zeboiim, Zeboim.
n.pr.loc — Zeboiim
צְבֹיִים n.pr.loc. near Sodom
H1106
n-pr-m n-pr-loc — Bela
Derivation: the same as 1105;
Bela, the name of a place, also of an Edomite and of two Israelites
KJV: Bela.
n.pr.m — Bela
בֶ֫לַע n.pr.m.
1. a king of Edom
2. 1st son of Benjamin
3. a Reubenite
H1931
p — he, she, it, self, same, this, that, as, are
Derivation: of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is הִיא; he a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular;
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are
KJV: he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.
m — he
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
1. an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
2. It resumes the subj. with emph.
3. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
4. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
5. As an emph. predicate, of God
6. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
7. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
H6820
n-pr-loc — Tsoar
Derivation: from 6819; little;
Tsoar, a place East of the Jordan
KJV: Zoar.
n.pr.loc — Zoar
צֹ֫עַר, צ֫וֹעַר n.pr.loc. Zoar (understood as insignificance) city at SE. end of Dead Sea
H6186
v — row, arrange, order
Derivation: a primitive root;
to set in a row, i.e. arrange, put in order (in a very wide variety of applications)
KJV: put (set) (the battle, self) in array, compare, direct, equal, esteem, estimate, expert (in war), furnish, handle, join (battle), ordain, (lay, put, reckon up, set) (in) order, prepare, tax, value.
vb — arrange in order
עָרַךְ vb. arrange or set in order
Qal
1.
a. arrange in order, seven altars
b. set or lay in order, as wood
c. in common life, arrange a table
d. arrange a battle, i.e. draw up in battle order
e. arrange weapons of army in order for battle
f. arrange words
g. state in order, set forth a legal case
2.
a. compare (as result of arranging in order)
b. intrans. be comparable
vb. denom — value
עָרַךְ vb. denom. Hiph. value (for taxation), tax
H854
prep — nearness, near, with, by, at, among
Derivation: probably from 579;
properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.
KJV: against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.
prep — with
אֵת, prep. with—prep. denoting proximity
1. Of companionship, together with
2. Of localities
3. אֵת פּ׳ denotes specially
a. in one's possession or keeping
b. in one's knowledge or memory
4. מֵאֵת from proximity with
Note. אֵת expresses closer association than עִם: hence while מֵעִם sts. denotes hardly more than from the surroundings or belongings of, מֵאֵת expresses from close proximity to.
H4421
n-f — battle, engagement, war, war-fare
Derivation: from 3898 (in the sense of fighting);
a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. war-fare)
KJV: battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).
n.f — battle
מִלְחָמָה 319 n.f. battle, war
H6010
n-m — vale
Derivation: from 6009;
a vale (i.e. broad depression)
KJV: dale, vale, valley (often used as a part of proper names). See also 1025.
n.m — vale
עֵ֫מֶק 70 n.m. vale (prop. deepening, depth)
H7708
n-pr-loc — Siddim
Derivation: plural from the same as 7704; flats;
Siddim, a valley in Palestine
KJV: Siddim.
n.[m.]pl — Siddim
שִׂדִּים n.[m.]pl. in n.pr.loc. vale of Siddim (identif. with Dead Sea)
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Verses 1–12
Genesis 14:1–12
We have here an account of the first war that ever we read of in scripture, which (though the wars of the nations make the greatest figure in history) we should not have had the history of if Abram and Lot had not been concerned in it. Now, concerning this war, we may observe,
I. The parties engaged in it. The invaders were four kings, two of them no less than kings of Shinar and Elam (that is, Chaldea and Persia), yet probably not the sovereign princes of those great kingdoms in their own persons, but either officers under them, or rather the heads and leaders of some colonies which came out of those great nations, and settled themselves near Sodom, but retained the names of the countries from which they had their origin. The invaded were the kings of five cities that lay near together in the plain of Jordan, namely, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Four of them are named, but not the fifth, the king of Zoar or Bela, either because he was much more mean and inconsiderable or because he was much more wicked and inglorious than the rest, and worthy to be forgotten.
II. The occasion of this war was the revolt of the five kings from under the government of Chedorlaomer. Twelve years they served him. Small joy they had of their fruitful land, while thus they were tributaries to a foreign power, and could not call what they had their own. Rich countries are a desirable prey, and idle luxurious countries are an easy prey, to growing greatness. The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended; thus soon did that prophecy begin to e fulfilled. In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their subjection, they rebelled, denied their tribute, and attempted to shake off the yoke and retrieve their ancient liberties. In the fourteenth year, after some pause and preparation, Chedorlaomer, in conjunction with his allies, set himself to chastise and reduce the rebels, and, since he could not have it otherwise, to fetch his tribute from them on the point of his sword. Note, Pride, covetousness, and ambition, are the lusts from which wars and fightings come. To these insatiable idols the blood of thousands has been sacrificed.
III. The progress and success of the war. The four kings laid the neighbouring countries waste and enriched themselves with the spoil of them (Gen 14:5-7), upon the alarm of which it had been the wisdom of the king of Sodom to submit, and desire conditions of peace; for how could he grapple with an enemy thus flushed with victory? But he would rather venture the utmost extremity than yield, and it sped accordingly. Quos Deus destruet eos dementat - Those whom God means to destroy he delivers up to infatuation. 1. The forces of the king of Sodom and his allies were routed; and, it should seem, many of them perished in the slime-pits who had escaped the sword, Gen 14:10. In all places we are surrounded with deaths of various kinds, especially in the field of battle. 2. The cities were plundered, Gen 14:11. All the goods of Sodom, and particularly their stores and provisions of victuals, were carried off by the conquerors. Note, When men abuse the gifts of a bountiful providence to gluttony and excess, it is just with God, and his usual way, by some judgment or other to strip them of that which they have so abused, Hos 2:8, Hos 2:9. 3. Lot was carried captive, Gen 14:12. They took Lot among the rest, and his goods. Now Lot may here be considered, (1.) As sharing with his neighbours in this common calamity. Though he was himself a righteous man, and (which is here expressly noticed) Abram's brother's son, yet he was involved with the rest in all this trouble. Note, All things come alike to all, Ecc 9:2. The best of men cannot promise themselves an exemption from the greatest troubles in this life; neither from our own piety nor our relation to those that are the favourites of heaven will be our security, when God's judgments are abroad. Note, further, Many an honest man fares the worse for his wicked neighbours. It is therefore our wisdom to separate ourselves, or at least to distinguish ourselves, from them (Co2 6:17), and so deliver ourselves, Rev 18:4. (2.) As smarting for the foolish choice he made of a settlement here. This is plainly intimated when it is said, They took Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom. So near a relation of Abram should have been a companion and disciple of Abram, and should have abode by his tents; but, if he choose to dwell in Sodom, he must thank himself if he share in Sodom's calamities. Note, When we go out of the way of our duty we put ourselves from under God's protection, and cannot expect that the choices which are made by our lusts should issue to our comfort. Particular mention is made of their taking Lot's goods, those goods which had occasioned his contest with Abram and his separation from him. Note, It is just with God to deprive us of those enjoyments by which we have suffered ourselves to be deprived of our enjoyment of him.
Cross-references: Gen 14:5 · Gen 14:10 · Gen 14:11 · Hos 2:8 · Hos 2:9 · Gen 14:12 · Eccl 9:2 · 2Cor 6:17 · Rev 18:4